Antiphilosophy is an opposition to traditional philosophy.
[Penelope Maddy, "Wittgenstein's Anti-Philosophy of Mathematics", Johannes Czermak and Klaus Paul, eds., Wittgenstein's Philosophy of Mathematics, 1993, pdf][Jan Riis Flor, "Den senere Wittgenstein", Poul Lübcke, ed., Vor tids filosofi: Videnskab og sprog, Politikens forlag, 1982] It may be characterized as anti-theoretical, critical of a priori justifications, and may see common philosophical problems as misconceptions that are to be dissolved.
[ Common strategies may involve forms of relativism, skepticism, nihilism, or pluralism.]
The term has been used as a denigrating word[Bruno Bosteels, "Radical Antiphilosophy," Filozofski vestnik (2008)1, 55-87] but is also used with more neutral or positive connotations.[Jan Riis Flor, "Den senere Wittgenstein", Poul Lübcke, ed., Vor tids filosofi: Videnskab og sprog, Politikens forlag, 1982] In the early 1990's Alain Badiou conducted a series of Seminars with the generic topic "Antiphilosophy"[ Alain Badiou, Seminaires 1980-2017] and later adopted the word for a number of publications. Boris Groys's 2012 book Introduction to Antiphilosophy discusses thinkers such as Kierkegaard, Lev Shestov, Nietzsche, and Walter Benjamin, characterizing their work as privileging life and action over thought.[
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Examples of antiphilosophical positions
Ethics
The antiphilosopher could argue that, with regard to ethics, there is only practical, ordinary reasoning. Therefore, a priori it is wrong to superimpose overarching ideas of what is good for philosophical reasons. For example, it is wrong blanketly to assume that only happiness matters, as in utilitarianism. This is not to claim, however, that a utilitarian-like argument may not be valid in some particular case.
Continuum hypothesis
Consider the continuum hypothesis, stating that there is no set with size strictly between the size of the natural numbers and the size of the real numbers. One idea is that the set universe ought to be rich, with many sets, which leads to the continuum hypothesis being false.[Continuum hypothesis#Arguments for and against CH][Penelope Maddy, June 1988, "Believing the Axioms, I", Journal of Symbolic Logic 53 (2): 481–511, pdf] This richness argument, the antiphilosopher might argue, is purely philosophical, and groundless, and therefore should be dismissed; maintaining that the continuum hypothesis should be settled by mathematical arguments. In particular it could be the case that the question isn't mathematically meaningful or useful, that the hypothesis is neither true, nor false. It is then wrong to stipulate, a priori and for philosophical reasons, that the continuum hypothesis is true or false.
Scientism
Scientism, as a doctrinal position in that science is the only way to know the reality, is continuously confronting the utility and validity of philosophy methods, adopting an anti-philosophical position. Authors like Sam Harris believe that science can, or will, answer questions about morality and ethics, making philosophy useless.
Antiphilosophies
Wittgenstein's metaphilosophy
The views of Ludwig Wittgenstein, specifically his metaphilosophy, could be said to be antiphilosophy.[
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Horwich goes on to argue that:
Horwich concludes that, according to Wittgenstein,
philosophy "must avoid theory-construction and instead be merely 'therapeutic,' confined to exposing the irrational assumptions on which theory-oriented investigations are based and the irrational conclusions to which they lead".
Moreover, these antiphilosophical views are central to Wittgenstein, Horwich argues.
Pyrrhonism
Pyrrhonism has been considered an antiphilosophy.[Pascal Massie, "Philosophy and Ataraxia in Sextus Empiricus" PEITHO / EXAMINA ANTIQUA
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See also
Notes
Further reading
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Alain Badiou Wittgenstein's Antiphilosophy (transl. by B. Bosteels). New York: Verso, 2011
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Paul Horwich, Wittgenstein's Metaphilosophy, Oxford University Press, 2012.
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Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations, 1953.
